The Government of Spain reaffirms its commitment to science with the largest investment to date in research projects

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The Minister and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, together with the Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, and the Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, answer questions from the media (Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez)

The Council of Ministers has approved six calls for proposals which altogether constitute the largest amount earmarked for scientific research in Spain. "This Government will continue to support science in our country as never before," said the Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant.

The minister pointed out that this commitment responds to the public's demand for governments to invest in a stable and incremental way in research. "Science is the great hope for solving the major challenges we face," said Morant, referring to issues such as the treatment of diseases and the threat of climate change.

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities stressed that the investment represents an increase of almost 40% over that of 2018, and that it does not come from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, but from the national budget. The calls will serve to fund basic research groups, incorporate scientific talent at all stages of the system, promote knowledge transfer and public-private collaboration, and encourage health research.

More investment for research groups

The first call for proposals, aimed at knowledge-generating projects, will benefit around 3,000 research groups from public organisations in all fields of knowledge, from history and economics to renewable energies and digital technologies. It is endowed with €675 million, the largest amount in the history of this programme, as is the case with the rest of the calls for proposals, according to Diana Morant.

As has been the case for the last two years, a call for research trainees will also be published, which will enable the incorporation of a thousand young researchers. "This is the difference between having finished your degree and going into research or not," she said. Morant also stressed that the Government has fulfilled its commitment regarding the salaries received by these researchers by increasing them by 40% since 2018.

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, during her appearance at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

Promoting the relationship between public research centres and innovative companies is the objective of the call for proposals for public-private collaboration projects, which will have a budget of €320 million. The aim is to transfer scientific results to the development of pioneering medical therapies, digital tools and technologies that strengthen, among other areas, national strategic autonomy. "It is essential that science goes a step further and that research ends in real solutions, and does not simply stay on paper," said Diana Morant.

Along the same lines, the Carlos III Health Institute will be allocated €160 million for the call for Strategic Action in Health. This amount is 15% higher than the previous amount and 42% higher than in 2018. The recipients of the aid will be public and private entities, including hospitals, that develop R&D&I in the health sector, with applications such as advanced therapies based on each patients' genomic information. The minister recalled that Spain is Europe's leading country in clinical trials, in other words "in bringing the results of the science carried out in our hospitals to the patient".

Career development in science

The three other approved calls are aimed at promoting the scientific careers of professionals once they have completed their doctoral studies.

First, the Juan de la Cierva programme, endowed with €38 million, will facilitate the recruitment of 500 young doctors for two years to bridge the pre-doctoral and post-doctoral stages. Morant pointed out that salaries have also been increased in this regard, specifically by more than €2,000 gross per year compared to the previous year alone.

Second, the government has earmarked €131 million to finance 5 years of doctoral researchers' careers through the Ramón y Cajal programme. The programme's coverage has grown by 150% from 200 contracts to almost 500, and salaries have also risen from €31,600 to €36,000 in the first three, and to €42,500 in the last two years.

Last, the Torres Quevedo Programme, with an investment of €21 million, seeks to incorporate researchers in companies.

Job stability in public universities

The Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

At the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities reported on the agreement reached with 16 autonomous communities to tackle job insecurity among teaching staff at public universities by means of the María Goyri programme.

Diana Morant explained that her department has already signed 14 agreements to set up this initiative and that Castilla y León will soon follow suit. In the case of the Basque Country, it will be articulated through the Joint Commission of the Economic Agreement.

Good trend in scientific investment

The minister also described as "extraordinary" the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics on public and private investment in science and innovation in Spain, referring to the year 2023.

Morant stressed that this is the largest investment in R&D&I in our history and that the growth compared to the previous year, 16%, is the highest in the last 15 years. In particular, public spending increased by 18% and business spending by 12.6%. In the minister's opinion, these indicators mark "a good trend" and are in line with the Science Law.

Reconstruction of non-State infrastructure in Valencia

The Council of Ministers has agreed on the actions to be carried out by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility on local roads affected by the DANA in the province of Valencia.

The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, during his speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

The head of the department, Óscar Puente, explained that so far, the ministry has only intervened in the infrastructures it exclusively owns, but that it is now taking "a step forward" and will assume responsibility for the reconstruction of some locally owned roads. Specifically, the government has declared that 18 local roads in 7 municipalities in Valencia need urgent intervention as matters of general interest and public utility. The minister praised the institutional collaboration and coordination work between his department, the Generalitat Valenciana and the Diputación de Valencia, within the framework of the action group to restore mobility in these municipalities as soon as possible.

This agreement by the Council of Ministers comes in addition to 19 repair actions being carried out by ADIF in 7 other municipalities on footbridges or subways in the vicinity of its railway lines. Óscar Puente pointed out that ADIF is carrying out the works directly to guarantee the safety of railway operations.

Overall, between the works to be carried out by the General Directorate of Roads and those already undertaken by ADIF, 37 actions will be implemented in 12 locations, at an estimated cost of €54 million, to tackle the reconstruction of non-state infrastructures in the province of Valencia.

The most important actions correspond to structures necessary for pedestrian and vehicle mobility through the Poyo ravine. Specifically, those belonging to the municipalities of Paiporta and Picanya suffered serious structural damage in some cases and have even collapsed completely in others. The minister pointed out that the first assessments of the actions come from the work done by the technical staff prior to the declaration of public interest.

Recovery of roads, high speed and commuter trains

Óscar Puente stressed that "much remains to be done" in the reconstruction of the area, "but without doubt the picture today is a far cry from what it was a little over a month ago".

The Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, during his appearance at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

The minister detailed that thanks to the work of more than 800 people from his department, 160 kilometres of roads have been recovered, the high-speed train is already operating normally, and 226 kilometres of suburban trains are in service out of the total of 347 kilometres in Valencia.

Puente announced that lines C1, C2 and C3 to Aldaya are expected to be fully open by 22 December. "We are doing well, and we are not only going to meet the deadlines, but we are going to bring them forward, in some cases significantly," he said. In addition, thanks to the access bridge to Cheste built by the army, an alternative bus service to the C3 line entering the town has been running since yesterday.

The total cost of the interventions that Transports is going to carry out or is already carrying out in Valencia is €370 million. "As we have said, it makes no sense to skimp on resources for the reconstruction of infrastructure and mobility in Valencia," said Puente.

€240 million for the ICO DANA guarantee facility

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, has announced that the Council of Ministers has approved the agreement establishing the terms and conditions of a new tranche of €240 million for the line of ICO DANA guarantees. This allocation, she explained, is in addition to that previously approved to complete the line of interest-free loans aimed at the self-employed and SMEs, with which both groups "will have access to resources to relaunch their activity".

The Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, during her speech at the press conference after the Council of Ministers | Pool Moncloa / Jose Manuel Álvarez

In this context, Alegría recalled that from 1 December until 16 December, students in areas affected by the DANA can apply for direct aid of €600 to replace lost or damaged books and school materials. The spokeswoman stressed that the Government's priority continues to be to ensure that aid reaches those affected quickly, confirming that 3 out of every 4 applications for aid made by companies and the self-employed have already been paid. "To date, over €257 million in aid has already reached the affected citizens," he said.

According to the figures provided by the minister, who pointed out that this is direct aid that does not have to be repaid, the Insurance Compensation Consortium has already processed 170,000 applications and has paid out more than €110 million, and that the Tax Agency paid out €144 million in aid in a single day to more than 15,000 companies and the self-employed.

Report on the National Safe Digital Environments Strategy

Pilar Alegría also informed that the Minister for Youth and Childhood, Sira Rego, has presented to the Council of Ministers the report that will contribute to the development of the National Strategy for Safe Digital Environments for Children and Adolescents. The minister described it as "pioneering", and explained that it has been drawn up by a committee of 50 experts who have proposed 107 measures to the Government so that public administrations can guarantee a framework of prevention, early detection and protection from possible violations of the rights of children and adolescents.

Among these proposals, 35 were already approved last June by the Council of Ministers as part of the Draft Bill of the Organic Law for the protection of minors in digital environments, among which were age verification systems. The Ministry of Youth and Childhood will study the rest of the proposals with a view to their possible incorporation into the text or via the corresponding initiatives.

Current affairs: economic data and the new Secretary of State for Communication

During her speech, the Government spokesperson welcomed the latest unemployment and national insurance contribution figures, which show that employment in Spain is growing at a faster rate than in France and Germany. The minister underlined the link between these figures and the economic situation and the management of the Executive: "They are linked to the very dynamism our economy is experiencing, and this path of progress and transformation is the one that this Government will continue to follow", he assured.

Pilar Alegría ended the press conference by thanking the Secretary of State for Communication, Francesc Vallès, who is to be replaced by Ion Antolín. "It has been a pleasure and an honour to work with you", said Alegría, who congratulated Ion Antolín on his appointment as head of an area that she described as "intense" and "complex". "I have no doubt that, like Francesc, he will do a magnificent job," she concluded.

Non official translation